'96 Impala SS on Horse Power TV

[RCSignals]

This may not have been a current show, but was the first time I've seen it.

I found it interesting, because some guys have claimed that GM understated the ratings of the engine in the Impala SS, and that the stated Horse power was actually rear wheel Horsepower.

Well they put this car, all stock and unmodified, on a Dynojet dynamometer. It came up as 210.7 HP (they never did state the torque reading)

They then installed a throttle body "airfoil" from Holley. There was no change in the Dyno reading.

Next was a CAI kit from "SLP". Dyno reading was up to 218.2 HP

Then they added a Holley Avenger throttle body. Dyno reading was 220 HP

Lastly they installed a Flow Master free-flow CAT back exhaust system. Final Dyno reading was 228.2 HP

[SouLRioT]

Saw the show also, but what i thought was interesting was the conversion of a stang with the addtion of a shaker.

[Constable]

true... i was in the gym at work yesterday morning when the show came on. I ended up sitting on the bench and watching the whole thing instead of working out.

[darebren]

I wish the MM was as easy to upgrade as those Impalas are, hopefully within a year we willhave more options. Anyway, I just got finished standing in the garage looking at my MM, as I always do...wondering if that shaker hood, with the black cowl cover runnign down the hood would look good or not. I decided it would, but doubt it would fit the MM longer hood.

[RCSignals]

SouLRioT the shaker was interesting. i wonder if it's the same one Ford uses on the new Mach1

darebren. The Marauder is almost as easy. Dennis has helped a lot making so.
I was more surprised at the HP ratings, especially stock/unmodified

[Constable]

Classic Design Concepts (www.classicdesignconcepts.com ) manufacture the Mach 1 shaker systems. They sell systems for single cam GT and Bullitt models as well. They have alot of really nice products. If I'm not mistaken, the Stang HorsePowerTV did the install on was a 94-98 body (i didn't watch the shaker install so i couldn't tell if it was a 5.0 or 4.6). CDC doesn't make systems for this body yet, so it wasn't them.

www.bansheeperformance.com. also manufactures shaker systems for the Stang. They're kinda ricey, though. Their "Ram Jet" hood is uuuuugly! I think the only cool thing they have is the 86-93 Shaker setup.

[VaderSS]

With only an "opened up" stock airbox, and a K&N panel in the stock airbox, I dynoed 241 corrected RWHP, but I'm the owner of one of those "factory freaks."

210 to 220 RWHP is the norm for stock SSes.

GM was honest...

[RF Overlord]

I didn't see the show, but I found RC's write-up interesting in that installing a CAI added as much power as the Flowmasters, and that a bigger throttle body added bupkis...I hope Dennis's CAI will do as much for us...

[MAD-3R]

The bigger throttle body did add. It extended the the power line, keeping power up by about 10 hp a lot longer in the band.

It will be re-run Aug 30 - 31 on TNN

[RF Overlord]

Next was a CAI kit from "SLP". Dyno reading was up to 218.2 HP

Then they added a Holley Avenger throttle body. Dyno reading was 220 HP

??? Sounds like it only added about 1.8 HP... :confused:

[MAD-3R]

The peak HP on;y went up the 1.8, but the power didn't drop off till over 1000 RPM later flattening the curve.

[RF Overlord]

Ah....thanks...that's the danger of only looking at selected facts...a broader, flatter power curve is more desirable than a larger peak that only lasts a short time...

[SSparky]

Originally posted by RF Overlord
... and that a bigger throttle body added bupkis......

I'm by far no expert on the LT1 but, that has to be one of the poorest mods for a stock LT1 motor I've ever seen.

The fact is, the stock, 48mm TB the Impala comes with is more the sufficient for feeding the LT1 motor. It's not until you start doing some serious work (heads, cam) will a larger TB be needed. Add to it, the 58mm TB is a mismatch with the intake and they didn't do any pcm programming to account for the larger TB.

For the approximate $450 list price for that TB, they could have gotten a set of 1:6 roller rockers, springs and retainers and gotten a bigger gain and made a much more interesting show.

[RCSignals]

Originally posted by RF Overlord
Ah....thanks...that's the danger of only looking at selected facts...a broader, flatter power curve is more desirable than a larger peak that only lasts a short time...

Uh, I didn't just post just "selected" facts. They didn't go into discussion of the power curve, and only showed the graph for a few seconds.
Kind of hard to post the graph.

What SSparky says makes sense

[RF Overlord]

RC...

Sorry, bro, it DID sound like I was saying you only posted selected facts...I didn't mean it that way, I was speaking in much more general terms...what I meant was that looking at just the HP increases (or lack thereof) without also looking at the curves, or other pertinent facts, can be misleading...sorry for any confusion I may have caused.

[RCSignals]

no problem. I wasn't upset, just clarifying I hadn't left anything out intentionally
I was surprised they didn't discuss Torque at all

[VaderSS]

I'm by far no expert on the LT1 but, that has to be one of the poorest mods for a stock LT1 motor I've ever seen.

The fact is, the stock, 48mm TB the Impala comes with is more the sufficient for feeding the LT1 motor.

Entirely correct...

And the bores in the manifold are only 52MM to boot, so the 58MM TB was even more useless...